House Democrats have lined up behind a merger-oversight bill for hospitals that’s substantively identical to the one Sen. Jim Burgin, R-Harnett, introduced on April 30. “We want a process to be followed,” Rep. Sarah Crawford, D-Wake, said Monday during a caucus news conference on a quartet of healthcare bills. “We want to be transparent and […]
WakeMed officials say cost-cutting pressure from the federal and state governments and competition from UNC Health and Duke Health mean they have no choice but to find what they’re calling a “strategic partner.” “The reality as we look five, 10 and 25 years ahead, we know WakeMed cannot continue to provide the healthcare this county […]
Wake County Commissioners have agreed to delay consideration of a contract change that would clear the way for the proposed WakeMed/Atrium Health merger. The delay will last for at least 90 days, commissioners say. It will “provide time for the hospitals to engage with the community,” answer questions and make changes to address any concerns,” […]
Sen. Jim Burgin, the Harnett County Republican who co-chairs the Senate’s Health committee, got wind of the prospective Atrium Health/WakeMed merger about three weeks ago but got stonewalled when he asked Atrium officials about it. Burgin says his “contact at Atrium” wouldn’t answer when he said he’d heard a rumor the Charlotte-based hospital system was […]
A trio of House Republicans wants legislators to revamp North Carolina’s power-pricing system, to give Duke Energy and other utilities more incentive to find ways to save money on fuel. Reps. Mike Schietzelt, Erin Paré and Ben Moss joined forces to introduce House Bill 1192, which would require Duke and other power companies to eat […]
If history is any guide, the impending merger of WakeMed with Charlotte-based Atrium Health “will not benefit the public,” State Treasurer Brad Briner says. “There is a simple business principle that when suppliers consolidate and competition is reduced it is the consumers who suffer,” he said after the two hospital systems announced their deal. “This has been proven to be true […]
Brian Gordon/The Raleigh News & Observer Pieces are shifting and new questions are arising around a major jobs project in Eastern North Carolina. In April 2024, the state awarded Vietnam-based Boviet Solar an incentive to build a 908-worker manufacturing campus in the city of Greenville. Boviet opened a solar panel factory there the following year, […]
Sarah Michels/Carolina Public Press As North Carolina’s primary electric public utility, the shadow of Duke Energy looms large over the state and in the halls of government. Many lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican, have a relationship with the energy behemoth. Duke Energy spends a lot of money each election cycle to help its preferred candidates […]
Paul Woolverton/CityView Construction firms T.A. Loving of Goldsboro and Metcon of Pembroke will jointly renovate the Crown Arena event space and Crown Theatre performance auditorium, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners decided on Monday. The decision to hire the companies to manage and build the renovations—to serve as what’s known in the construction industry as […]
Zach Tucker/Spectrum News Anne Robinson started Scottish Gourmet USA in 2005 in New Jersey. She was inspired to start the company after taking trips to Scotland with her husband. They moved the business to Greensboro in 2017, due to the large concentration of Scottish Americans across North Carolina. “There’s a lot of things in American […]
Inside UNC Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is launching the North Carolina Economic Impact Center, a new initiative designed to provide timely, data-driven analysis on the issues shaping the state and region’s economy, workforce and communities. Housed within the Belk College of Business, the center will serve as a trusted resource for […]
WTVD North Carolina’s unemployment rate ticked down to 3.7% in March, a 0.1 percentage point decrease from February, according to new state data. The national rate also fell slightly to 4.3%. The number of unemployed residents dropped by nearly 4,000 over the month to 197,113, while total nonfarm employment increased by 9,400 jobs to about […]
Zac Ezzone/Triangle Business Journal North Carolina State University is pushing for a new advanced nuclear research and test reactor, a project that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and reshape the university’s role in nuclear research and workforce training. The university has completed a feasibility study outlining how it could add a next‑generation reactor […]
Steve Harrison/WFAE Radio Will there be enough dedicated money to fully fund the “Better Bus” pledge made during last year’s campaign for the transit tax referendum? It looks doubtful. The Charlotte Area Transit System pledged a 50% increase in bus service. It also promised 18 new “microtransit” zones where people could travel door-to-door with on-demand […]
Hannah Hall/WECT Feast Down East has received funding for improving local access to healthy food for people with chronic conditions through a new statewide initiative. According to the organization, the funding from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is part of the “Food is Medicine” initiative. “Food is Medicine” aims to […]
